The mesoscopic structure in wheat flour dough development

The Farinograph time-to-peak is an important wheat flour quality parameter. It is well-established that insoluble glutenins correlate with the strength of the gluten network and dough mixing time. To learn more about the physical changes at the mesoscopic level, dough samples were prepared in the Farinograph for study with diffusion wave spectroscopy. It was confirmed that a space-filling network was formed by wheat gluten proteins (mainly glutenin). At peak development (9.0 min) it was shown that the starch granules were confined in the gluten network. After the time-to-peak, dough resistance weakened, showing an increase of the starch granule movement. Kneading disrupts insoluble glutenin particles, the disrupted glutenin becomes part of the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS)-extractable proteins. Both soluble and insoluble wheat protein extracts have been characterized by light scattering techniques. The results derived from light scattering of the wheat protein fractions: particle radii, apparent molar mass and geometrical shapes, suggests that the disrupted glutenin aggregate shape and glutenin size heterogeneity could be more important for gluten network bulk consistency, connectivity and resistance at dough peak, than the apparent molar mass of the solubilized glutenins, reaching a maximum after dough peak.     

Variation in amylose concentration to enhance wheat flour extrudability

Composition and functionality of five waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes were elaborately investigated and related to end-product attributes of extrudates. As such, the interaction between starch biopolymers and protein in extrusion processing could be studied. Furthermore, the effect of an increasing amylose-concentration was studied by the use of blends. Waxy genotypes absorbed more water, gave rise to stiffer doughs and had higher onset and peak gelatinization temperature. In contrast, a lower pasting temperature and final viscosity and higher peak viscosity and breakdown could be observed. The volume percentage of small starch granules showed to be negatively correlated with peak temperature and positively with final viscosity and holding strength as well as with extrudate hardness. This was also positively correlated with amylose concentration. Expansion index was highest at a slightly decreased amylose concentration of 16.6%. Markedly higher moisture content for all amylose-free extrudates was attributed to a combination of increased solubility of amylopectin and reduced water evaporation at die emergence. It was hypothesized that an interplay with protein content and composition was laying at the basis of the observed differences. Moreover, the altered pasting behavior of waxy wheat may enhance the extrudability of gluten containing wheat flour.Starch granule size distribution is related to extrudate texture. Amylose content affects expansion index, water absorption and texture of extrudates. Interaction between starch content and protein composition and quality was observed. Waxy genotypes are strongly varying in their protein composition and functionality. Maximum expansion was obtained for blends containing 25% waxy flour.     

Effect of wheat germ flour addition on wheat flour,dough and Chinese steamed bread properties

Wheat germ flour (WGF) has been developed as a functional food ingredient with high nutritional value. In this study, WGF was applied in steamed bread-making in order to improve the quality of Chinese steamed bread (CSB). Partial substitution of wheat flour with WGF at levels of 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% (w/w) was carried out to investigate physicochemical properties of blends and their steaming performance. Falling number (FN) values of composite flours ranged from 199 to 223 s. Viscosity analysis results showed that wheat flour mixed with WGF had higher pasting temperature and lower viscosities. Dough rheological properties were also investigated using farinograph and extensograph. The addition of WGF diluted the gluten protein in dough and formed weak and inextensible dough, which can be studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. CSB made with WGF had significantly lower volume, specific volume and higher spread ratio. The sensory acceptability and physicochemical quality of CSB were improved with the application of a low level of WGF (3% and 6%). However, results showed that a high level of WGF over 9% is not recommended because of unsatisfactory taste. As a whole, addition of appropriate level of WGF in wheat flour could improve the quality of CSB.     

Viscoelastic properties of tablets from Osborne solubility fraction,pentosans, flour and bread using relaxation tests

There is no previously published data covering the viscoelasticity of Osborne protein solubility fractions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the viscoelastic properties of Osborne fractions, water soluble pentosans, flour and bread using relaxation tests. Sintered tablets from glutenins presented similar elasticity as gliadins but almost twice the viscosity. However, most of the wheat viscoelasticity performance in tablets was given by the sum of the non-gluten components (albumins, globulins, residue and especially water soluble pentosans). The residue was 86.1% w/w in flour and contained 4% protein while its estimated viscoelastic effect was higher compared to all the other flour components. Regarding the estimated viscosity in flour due to protein from specific fractions, it was higher in gliadins compared to glutenins. The residue although has low protein in flour (4.0%), the large amount of residue in flour had significant viscoelastic effect. The viscoelasticity of water soluble pentosans corrected by weight was similar to the Osborne protein fractions. The results indicate that the starch, pentosans, and non-gluten components may not be considered merely as inert filler and play a major role in determining the viscoelastic nature of flour and bread.     

Distributions of phenolic compounds,yellow pigments and oxidative enzymes in wheat grains and their relation to antioxidant capacity of bran and debranned flour

In this study, the distribution of phenolic compounds and yellow pigments in wheat grains and their relation to the total antioxidant capacity of bran and debranned flour was investigated. Yellow pigments, the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) and peroxidase (POX) enzymes were also determined. The bran fraction was found to contain significantly higher concentrations of phenolic acids, flavonoids and yellow pigments. The LOX activity was concentrated in endosperm and embryo, while the POX activity mostly concentrated in the bran fraction. The results suggest that the bran fraction of wheat would potentially provide naturally occurring antioxidants. From the health benefit point of view, a small level of bran incorporation to bread can be recommended to increase dietary fibre and phytonutrients in the diet.     

Distributions of phenolic compounds,yellow pigments and oxidative enzymes in wheat grains and their relation to antioxidant capacity of bran and debranned flour

In this study, the distribution of phenolic compounds and yellow pigments in wheat grains and their relation to the total antioxidant capacity of bran and debranned flour was investigated. Yellow pigments, the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) and peroxidase (POX) enzymes were also determined. The bran fraction was found to contain significantly higher concentrations of phenolic acids, flavonoids and yellow pigments. The LOX activity was concentrated in endosperm and embryo, while the POX activity mostly concentrated in the bran fraction. The results suggest that the bran fraction of wheat would potentially provide naturally occurring antioxidants. From the health benefit point of view, a small level of bran incorporation to bread can be recommended to increase dietary fibre and phytonutrients in the diet.     

Rheological characteristics of native and steamed wheat flour suspensions

Several Indian snack foods consist of an outer coating made with a wheat flour batter and a sweet or savoury filling. In order to study the possibilities of improving the rheological characteristics of batters used in the batter-coated products, wheat flour was steamed for varying periods of time (5, 15 and 30 min). The studies indicated that SDS-sedimentation values decreased from 35 to 24·5 mL, gluten forming protein was completely denatured, gel mobility increased and solubility of gliadin in the β-region decreased with an increase in the steaming period.The steamed wheat flour was used to make batters having 30, 33 and 36% solids suspended in water. The apparent viscosities of the batter increased from 9·6 to 19·2 Pa·s; the yield stress increased from 5·3 to 7·15 Pa; the consistency index increased from 27·86 to 78·31 Pa·sⁿ. The maximum values of all three parameters were observed in the batter which had a solids concentration of 36%, and which had been made with a flour steamed for 30 min. On the other hand, the flow behaviour index decreased slightly with duration of steaming and with increasing solid concentrations in the batter.     

Heat induced formation of free radicals in wheat flour

Oxidative Stability of bread is increasingly being recognized as important for long shelf-life. Formation of free radicals in whole wheat flour and white flour during heating was compared using Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy in order to identify the primary oxidative events. Heating lead to a higher content of free radicals in wholemeal wheat flour than in white flour, since components in the husk seem to make a major contribution. Two different pathways are suggested for the formation of free radicals in wheat flour. The activation energy for the radical formation in the flours was estimated by Arrhenius plot as 34 kJ mol⁻¹ up to 453 K, and above 473 K higher activation energies were observed. The change in activation energies indicates a change in reaction mechanisms for oxidation probably involving species with different mobility, i.e. different molecular weight. The accumulated concentration of free radicals in heated flour increased during one month storage and it is slightly affected by the water activity in the storage container.     

Analysis of free reduced and free oxidised glutathione in wheat flour

A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is described for the determination of reduced and oxidised glutathione (GSH and GSSG, respectively) in wheat flour. The procedure, in which the various steps were optimised, involves extraction with 5% (w/v) perchloric acid (PCA) so as to prevent sulphydryl-disulphide (SH/SS) interchange reactions and to separate PCA-extractable peptides from proteins, the latter being insoluble in PCA. After S-carboxymethylation of free sulphydryl groups by alkylation with iodoacetic acid (IAA) and dinitrophenylation of free amino groups with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (FDNB), the derivatives are analysed by HPLC on an amino-bonded phase silica column. Recoveries of GSH and GSSG standards added during extraction averaged 98% and 86%, respectively, and detector responses were linear up to 100 nmol GSH/g flour and 50 nmol GSSG/g flour. GSH levels in ‘straight-run’ Brabender Quadrumat Junior-milled white flours from single samples of grain of 11 U.K.-grown wheat cultivars ranged from 18 to 89 nmol/g flour and GSSG levels from 12 to 22 nmol/g flour. The ratio of GSH/GSSG varied between 0·9 and 5·9. No clear relationships were noted for this limited sample set between either the flour GSH or GSSG contents or the GSH/GSSG ratios and the bread making classifications of these cultivars. Storage of white flour samples at 4 °C for 90 days resulted in substantially reduced values for both GSH and GSSG necessitating standardisation of the time between milling and subsequent analysis.     

Key issues and challenges in whole wheat flour milling and storage

Whole wheat flour is increasingly popular as research continues to reveal the benefits of whole grains and the food industry offers more whole grain options for consumers. The purpose of this review is to address milling and shelf-life issues that are unique to whole wheat flour. No standard methods are available for whole wheat flour milling, resulting in very different bran particle sizes. Literature suggests that moderate bran particle size is the best for bread production, while small particle size is better for non-gluten applications. Shelf-life of whole wheat flour is shorter compared to white flour due to the presence of lipids and lipid-degrading enzymes. Lipolytic degradation leads to reduction in functionality, palatability and nutritional properties. Strategies to stabilize whole wheat flour have focused on controlling lipolytic enzyme activity and have marginally succeeded.     

Identification of new puroindoline genotypes and their relationship to flour texture among wheat cultivars

Puroindoline genotypes (Pina and Pinb) and their encoded proteins related to grain hardness were studied in various common wheat cultivars from Australia, China, Japan, Korea and North America. Most of the hard wheats had the Pinb-D1b genotype with a glycine to serine mutation at position 46. In addition to the known Pina and Pinb genotypes, cultivars were found with Pina and Pinb double-null mutations (Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1h (t)) and a new Pinb frameshift mutation (designated Pinb-D1i (t)) within the region encoding a tryptophan-rich domain. This new Pinb frameshift mutation was found only in Chinese cultivars. Endosperm proteins encoded by Pina and Pinb in these cultivars were analysed by 2D-gel electrophoresis (IPG×SDS-PAGE). Cultivars with Pina and Pinb double-null mutations showed no PIN-a or PIN-b protein, and cultivars with Pinb-D1i (t) had no PIN-b protein. Surprisingly, cultivars with Pinb-D1b had severely reduced amounts of PIN-b and cultivars with Pinb-D1c showed no PIN-b proteins. Grain hardness among cultivars having mutated Pinb may be explained by the amount of PIN-b protein and not by the type of amino acid substitutions.     

Chemical,nutritional and technological characteristics of buck wheat and non-prolamine buckwheat flours in comparison of wheat flour

Chemical, nutritional, and technological characteristics of buckwheat and non-prolamine buckwheat flours in comparison to wheat for celiac patients use have been studied. The results suggested the following conclusions: the 56.5% extraction value for flour obtention is considered good; the buckwheat flour presents methionine and cystine as first limiting amino acids followed by threonine as the second limiting amino acid; the buckwheat flour presents higher content of lysine amino acids than the wheat flour; the buckwheat flour is superior to the wheat flour regarding iron, copper, and magnesium minerals; the buckwheat flour does not present haemagglutinin activity and the tannin content is negligible. Rheological assays indicate that the buckwheat flour does not contain gluten.     

Inflation,squeezing and collapse in wheat flour dough during baking: Effects of flour quality and oven temperature

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Debranning of wheat prior to milling reduces xylanase but not xylanase inhibitor activities in wholemeal and flour

Debranning of wheat to remove the outer 7% of the kernel, prior to grinding or milling reduced xylanase activity in wheat wholemeal and wheat endosperm flour by up to 80 and 60%, respectively, whereas there was no significant reduction of xylanase inhibiting activity. Flours obtained after debranning and milling showed no major differences in moisture content, whereas ash content decreased and protein and arabinoxylan content decreased slightly with increasing debranning degree. Part of the xylanase activity in the flour was lost on addition of Triticum aestivum xylanase inhibitor (TAXI). Since TAXI specifically inhibits glycosyl hydrolase family 11 xylanases and since endogenous cereal xylanases belong exclusively to family 10, part of the xylanase activity in the flour is most likely of microbial origin. Debranning also significantly reduced alpha-amylase activities in wheat wholemeal and wheat flour. Debranning prior to milling can, therefore, impact on flour functionality.     

Relative contribution of wheat flour constituents to Solvent Retention Capacity profiles of European wheats

Solvent Retention Capacity (SRC) tests have originally been designed to predict flour functionality of North American wheat flours. A SRC profile consists of its Water Retention Capacity (WRC), Sodium Carbonate SRC (SCSRC), Sucrose SRC (SuSRC) and Lactic Acid SRC (LASRC) values. As the value of such tests when considering European wheat flours is rather unclear, we studied the chemical composition and SRC profiles of nineteen commercial European wheat flours. Their WRC, SCSRC, SuSRC and LASRC ranged from 56 to 66%, 74 to 88%, 90 to 102% and 106 to 147%, respectively. Both WRC and SCSRC were mostly higher than those of North American soft wheat flours, but in the range of those of North American hard wheat flours. For the entire set of European flours, strong linear relations were observed between the flour damaged starch levels and WRC values, as well as with SCSRC values. Modifying specific flour constituent properties and levels illustrated the contribution of proteins, damaged starch and arabinoxylan (AX) to the SRC values. Flour proteins, especially glutenins, mainly contributed to LASRC, while damaged starch largely impacted flour SCSRC. Water-extractable AX only contributed to the SuSRC values, whereas the solvent-accessible AX generally contributed to all SRC values, and particularly to the SuSRC values.     

Cellular structure and rheological properties of shaped fermented wheat flour dough

Among the various operations of the breadmaking chain, the impact of shaping on dough cellular structure has scarcely been studied. In this work, wheat flour dough has been laminated under different roll gap conditions δ(mm)= (2,5, 10, 20, ∞). Rheological properties were measured under large and small strains, by lubricated squeezing flow test and dynamic thermomechanical analysis, respectively. Laminating has a limited effect on the elongational viscosity of the dough. However, the minimum value of the ratio of storage modulus reached for gap δ = 5 mm suggests that gluten network structuration is improved in this case. The kinetics of porosity and shape ratio of fermenting laminated doughs were calculated from image analysis of dough follow-up during proofing. They showed that stability is improved for δ = 5 mm. Finally, Xray tomography experiments, performed on laminated rolled dough during proofing, confirmed that the main changes can be attributed to an increase of cellular homogeneity at δ = 5 mm, reflected by lower median gas cell size and less spread size distributions.